Wings are football food. There's no denying it. But they're certainly not health food.

This recipe gives your arteries a bit of a break because the chicken is roasted instead of fried. There's no loss in flavor, though, thanks to a sweet and tangy glaze made with soy sauce, sugar and balsamic vinegar.

They're sticky, for sure, but it's worth it. Just bring napkins (and maybe wet wipes) along with the wings for the game-day festivities.

Balsamic soy-glazed chicken wings

4-5 pounds chicken wingettes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Line two large shallow baking pans (17 by 11 inches) with foil. Put pans in oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Pat wings dry, then toss with oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Carefully remove preheated pans from oven and lightly grease them. Divide wings evenly between the two pans, arranging in one layer. Roast, without turning, until golden and tender, about 35 minutes.

While wings roast, simmer vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a 1- to 11/2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.

Remove roasted wings from oven and let stand in pans 1 minute (to make wings easier to remove from foil), then transfer with tongs to a clean large bowl.